


(Not Quite) First Encounters

by GrimmVertigo



Series: Artist!AU [3]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Artist!Noctis, M/M, Meeting the Parents, it gets awkward, model!Nyx, or singluar parent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-13
Updated: 2017-07-13
Packaged: 2018-12-01 20:31:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11494194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GrimmVertigo/pseuds/GrimmVertigo
Summary: In every relationship, there's a moment when you introduce your partner to your parents.





	(Not Quite) First Encounters

"Are you doing anything this Sunday?" 

Nyx, lounging on the couch in the living room, looked up from his book to level a stare at Noctis. "I don't think so? Why?" 

Noct's eyes were glued to the tv, too focused on a video game to return Nyx's look. "My dad has me over for Sunday dinner every so often. He told me to bring you with me this time." 

There was a pause as Nyx raised an eyebrow and sat up, marking his place in the book and setting it down. "You told your dad about us?" 

"Not really..." Noctis paused his game and rubbed his forehead, as if he had a headache. "He saw those drawings I did in the gallery paper and said something about wanting to meet my muse. He must have assumed something." 

"Well, he wouldn't be wrong," Nyx chuckled. "But sure, I'll go to dinner with you." 

Noct looked up at him, a little surprised. "Really?" 

"Yeah, why not," Nyx said with a shrug. "Gotta meet the family sometime, right?" 

\--- 

Nyx and Regis had met before. Multiple times. 

Noctis didn't know this until he and Nyx had walked into the foyer of his family home and were met by a visibly startled Regis Lucis Caelum. 

"Nyx Ulric?" 

Beside him, Nyx froze, his expression stony and closed-off. Noctis glanced over at his partner, confused. 

"General Caelum," Nyx said in a stiff tone, like a soldier addressing his superior. Noct's confused look turned to one of surprise as he looked between the two men with a raised brow. 

"The war is long over, lad." Regis gave them a tired smile. "I'm no General anymore, just a weary old man." He turned and waved an arm down the hall. "Won't you come sit? Dinner will be ready shortly." 

Nyx didn't move immediately, only being persuaded forward by Noctis's hand slipping into his and giving a gentle squeeze. Even then, Noct had to lead. He stopped by Regis to give him a smile and a brief hug before tugging Nyx into the dining room and into a chair. Regis hobbled into the kitchen, supporting most of his weight on an aged black cane. 

"I wasn't aware you two had met before," Noctis said to Nyx, grabbing a bottle of wine from a nearby stand and pouring them both a glass. 

Nyx hummed in response before taking his wine glass and downing half of it in one go. Noct refilled it almost immediately. 

"Yeah... In the war, my unit was a... Specialized covert reconnaissance group under the command of your father." 

"The Kingsglaive." Noctis took his seat next to Nyx, making sure the wine bottle was within reach. 

Nyx nodded. "By the time it was formed, I'd been enlisted lough enough to have built up the skill set needed." He paused and nervously ran a hand through his hair. "And I had a bit of a bad rep with the higher-ranking officers. They wanted me gone so they didn't have to deal with me anymore." 

"So they shoved you onto me instead." 

Regis appeared from the doorway to the kitchen, pushing a small cart of food with one hand. "And a handful of the other recruits from Galahd, if I'm not mistaken." He parked the cart at the end of the table within reach of at least Noctis, who started pulling plates onto the table. Regis was slow to sit. "You were truly a talented bunch, despite a few small problems here and there. We were lucky to have you." 

"Thank you, sir," Nyx answered in a carefully measured voice. Noctis silently piled their plates with meat and rice and vegetables, not wanting to interrupt.

Regis responded with a small smile, and though it looked genuine, it also appeared a little forced, like he was trying to be friendly. "Well, I didn't tell my son to invite his partner to dinner just to talk about things past. Dig in, eat your fill. I would like to hear more about you both." 

Although Nyx seemed to relax some, his face was still carefully blank as they all dug into their meals. Noctis and Regis made some small talk, mostly about what they'd been doing recently, how work and school had been going. Eventually the conversation led to Noctis retelling the story of how he and Nyx had met, though he left out some details and exaggerated on others to keep it appropriate for Regis. 

Nyx had warmed up somewhat after a while, thanks to what was likely a combination of food, alcohol, and Noctis doing all of the talking. He interjected every once in a while, but never said anything of substance until Noctis excused himself to use the bathroom, leaving him and Regis by themselves for a couple minutes. 

There was an awkward sort of silence between them that weighed heavily on the room. They sipped wine from their glasses and kept their gaze directed anywhere but at each other. It was Regis that broke the silence. 

"So you and my son met during one of his... Art classes?" 

Nyx's answer was a short "yessir". 

Regis hummed absently in response, swirling the wine around in his glass. "The art field is not something I expected a hardened veteran to go into." 

"Didn't have much of a choice, sir. Had to pay the bills somehow." Nyx's lips were pressed into a thin line, clearly not wanting to be part of the conversation. "Not many people were interested in hiring a Galahdian immigrant, ex-Lucian military or no." He left out the PTSD that Regis had some hand in, since the ex-General ended up having control over the Kingsglaive unit and had therefore sent them all into several sticky situations that not everybody returned from. Nyx didn't want to bring that up at dinner, so he kept his mouth shut. The silence said enough, though. 

An expression passed over Regis's face that Nyx had trouble reading – something like guilt, but the way his face twisted made it hard to decipher. It looked like Regis wanted to say something, but it was then that Noctis chose to return, walking into the room while looking at something on his phone. 

"Hey dad, Nyx and I should get going. The traffic going back to my place is a mess and I have class early in the morning." He looked up when the scrape of Nyx's chair on hardwood resounded throughout the room. "I hope you two got along...?" 

Regis smiled and stood slowly, gripping the edge of the table as if he were having trouble standing. Noctis moved to offer help, but he was just waved off and instead pulled in for a one-armed hug. 

"It was a civil conversation, if that is what you're concerned about," Regis said into Noct's hair, sneaking a kiss to the top of his head. "I would love for you to bring him with you some other time." He looked up at Nyx, an arm still around Noct's shoulders. "You are welcome to join us whenever you please, Sir Ulric." 

Nyx, frozen in place, nodded and took Noctis's hand when he walked over. Without saying a word, he turned and walked down the hall and out the door with their hands still laced together. 

In the car and on the road, Noctis turned to look at Nyx from the passenger seat with a small frown. "Are you okay? It seemed like you and my dad had some history, I hope it didn't bring up anything... Painful." 

"I'm fine," Nyx replied, eyes never straying from the road. "Just surprised. I didn't expect to see my CO's CO again." 

"Yeah but I get the feeling you weren't exactly happy to see him." 

Nyx sighed. "Not really, no. My unit, we went where we were ordered, and your father was usually the one giving the orders. On more than one occasion, we would come back with fewer than we went out with. I'm not as angry about it as some of my other mates; I saw how strategically he sent us out, making sure we were absolutely necessary. We did a lot of good, but... It still hurts." He shrugged. "And, you know, I kinda thought he was an ass for wanting to force you to enlist." 

Noctis cracked a smile, reaching out to rest his hand on Nyx's on the gear shift in between them. "Yeah, I was kinda upset about that too, but he's still a good man, underneath it all... He means well and he tries his best, even though sometimes I think his head is still stuck in the war." 

"All of our heads are still stuck in the war," Nyx said quietly. 

"But now yours doesn't have to be." Noct's voice was quiet and gentle, reassuring. "Because now I'm here to help you through it. No matter what." He tugged Nyx's hand from the gear shift and pressed a kiss to his knuckles. 

In the dim of the passing streetlights, Nyx smiled.

**Author's Note:**

> *inhales* I need to do War Backstory now how f u n
> 
> I hope y'all liked it!~


End file.
